Crystallography at high pressures and temperatures

The laser heated diamond anvil cell allows us to generate conditions corresponding to those of the Earth’s core (3.5 Mbar = 350 GPa, ~6000 K).  Novel compounds with unusual structures can be formed at such extreme (pressure, temperature) conditions and, as diamond is transparent over a very wide spectral range for electromagnetic radiation, in situ diffraction and spectroscopic experiments can be carried out to characterize materials. In the talk, I will present the capabilities of the “extreme conditions beamline” P02.2@PETRA III, and discuss some recent high pressure studies carried out my group.